have been ob- 

 tained. 



S2% COMPOSITION OF SULPHURIC ETHER. 



Washed. The ether obtained by this operation was mixed with twice 



its weight of water *, to separate still more alcohol from 

 it: and the ether, after it was decanted, was found to be 

 reduced by this washing to the specific gravity of 0-726. 



One third This last product subjected to distillation, and only a 



drawn off. ^jj^j-d ^f [^ drawn off, yielded an ether of the specific gra- 

 vity of 0-717 at 16^ R. [68^ F.]. This was the ether I 

 employed in my experiments. 



More might It is unnecessary to obserre, that by repeatedly rectify- 



ing, and washing the rci-iduums of the preceding rectifica- 

 tions, four or five times as much ether of the specific gra- 

 '. rity of 0'717 might be obtained, as by confining ourselves 

 to the first result mentioned above. 



Results of It has been seen, that the results of the slow combustiou 



burning m a ^f alcohol in a lamp in a close vessel were deficient in pre»- 

 lamp not accu- . , t i • , , , , , . <• . 



rate. cision. Ihosel obtained by the slow combustion or ether 



were still more so, and therefore I shall not detail them. 

 Its detonation ^^^ analysis ctf ether made by detonating its elastic va- 

 gives more spe- pour appeared to me sufficiently accurate to determine the 

 cific results than .. r i • i i.» i tx • 



that of alcohol. P'^OP^^^^*'"^ ^' carbon, oxigen, and hidrogen. It is capa- 

 ble of giving more precise results than those obtained from 

 alcohol by this process. The alcoholic vapour is so light, 

 that its specific gravity is difficult to be ascertained. A very 

 slight errour in determining it makes great differences in the 

 results of the analysi>. The gaseous vapour of ether is 

 much heavier; all the results are more striking; and small 

 errours here are less important. 

 its decomposi- '^^^ decomposition of ether by an incandescent porcelain 

 tion in a red tube afforded me less precise results than the preceding ope- 

 quite"so accu- ration, and much less accurate than those obtained fromal- 

 Tate. cohol by the same means, because the ether in this proce.s* 



yields thirty times as much oil, with respect to the compo- 

 sition of which I could only form conjectures. I will re- 

 late the particulars of this process however; as they will 

 serve to confirm the analysis of ether by the rapid combus- 

 tion of its vapour. 



* The efficacy of this method has been demonstrated by the 

 experiments of Gay Lussac, given in BerthoUet's Chemical Statics, 

 vol. I. 



Sect. 



